The Miami Experience: Academics

The Miami Experience. Our pictures speak volumes.

Robert Frost once said that Miami University is "the most beautiful campus that ever there was." When our campus isn’t inspiring poetry, it's serving as a backdrop for classes, gatherings, and even a few movies (just ask George Clooney). Hopefully, this site will give you a taste of what makes Miami such a special place.

Central Quad and MacCracken Hall

A campus is more than just a place to live. It’s where you'll find a backdrop for making lifelong friends. For opening your eyes and your mind. For shared experiences, for stories worth repeating, and stories you'll never tell anyone. For learning what it's like to be away from home, and learning what it's like for a whole new place to feel like home.

An Original Public Ivy.

Miami is a public university that provides an exceptional return on your education investment, has rich history and tradition, and has a picturesque campus. And that's only part of the story.

Ranked #1 in Undergraduate Teaching.

U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Miami University near the top for commitment to undergraduate teaching. In the 2018 report, Miami ranks first among public universities and fifth overall for both public and private schools – in good company with Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown and Rice.

Lectures and Lessons.

Most of our class sizes are relatively small — an average of just 30 students. Miami is known for fostering strong bonds between professors and students, many of whom continue to keep in touch long after graduation.

All Business.

Miami's business school is housed in a stunning LEED certified building, and our undergraduate entrepreneurship program was ranked 9th among public institutions by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2017.

Farmer School of Business Building

Our comprehensive building houses all aspects of the Farmer School of Business under one roof, enabling us to pursue our mission and make significant progress in achieving our goal of excellence in business education.

Instructional spaces in the new building reflect a shift toward small group work, seminar instruction, and experiential learning.

The design of work spaces, lounges, and eating and meeting spaces encourage greater interaction among faculty members.

Virtual Spaces. Actual Learning.

Students explore a 3-D world during the Armstrong Institute of Interactive Media Studies open house celebration.

A Closer Look.

Sometimes the smallest organisms have the biggest impact on our lives – which is the foundation of microbiology studies at Miami. This student is getting some hands-on experience with such microorganisms in one of our many labs.

Can You Hear the Applause?

Miami's Center for Performing Arts is home to our Theatre Department, and houses traditional and experimental theater space, scene shop, costume shop, and prop shop, all to make sure you're ready for curtain.

Center for Performing Arts

The Departments of Music and Theatre share the facilities in the Center for Performing Arts (CPA). The CPA contains piano and voice studios, administrative offices for the College of Creative Arts, class rooms, a piano lab, 70 practice rooms, the Amos Music Library, and the Souers Recital Hall.

Explore A Wilder Kingdom.

The Department of Biology at Miami is one of our largest departments, and one of the largest biology programs in the nation. This means we offer a wide variety of courses and research opportunities, ranging from the smallest DNA sequence to the largest ecosystem.

Pearson Hall

Constructed in 1986 where the historic Miami Field once was located, The Biological Sciences Building was renamed Pearson Hall in 1993 as a dedication to the university’s 18th President, Dr. Paul G. Pearson. The building is home to several facilities, including:

• The Center for Animal Behavior

• The Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics

• The Mallory-Wilson Center for Healthcare Education

• The Center for Neuroscience and Behavior

• The Electron Microscope Facility

• The Animal Care Facility

• Two large aquatic animal rooms used to replicate oceanic and freshwater environments

Engineering At Miami.

Students in the College of Engineering and Computing enjoy bright and open classroom spaces where they can disassemble, reassemble, tinker, explore, and learn.

Engineering Building

The Engineering Building is home to the College of Engineering and Computing. Offering 10 accredited majors, this academic division boasts a state-of-the-art complex located in the heart of campus and an undergraduate engineering program ranked in the nation's top 15%.

A Finer Art.

The Miami University Art Museum exhibits collections ranging from ancient artifacts to up-and-coming artists. What you'll see at this museum is often connected to what you'll learn in the classroom, making it a valuable resource on campus.

Welcome To The Real (Virtual) World.

Learn Anything, Anywhere.

Miami is ranked #3 in study abroad participation among public doctoral institutions. No matter your major, you're welcome to join the more than 49% Miami students each year who earn academic credit through study abroad in more than 90 countries.

All the Right Notes.

Presser Hall

Presser Hall, completely renovated and expanded in 2008, houses the Department of Music’s office, instrumental teaching studios, several large and small classrooms, rehearsal spaces for large and small instrumental and choral ensembles, practice facilities, and music and instrument storage space.

Greetings From The Future.

Starting as early as freshman year, Miami undergraduates are given the opportunity to participate in research opportunities such as robotic systems, normally reserved for graduate students at other universities, which greatly enhances the learning process.

Five Quads. Infinite Fun.

Every college should have at least one good quad, which is why we have five. Quads are multipurpose fields; these purposes range from catching ultimate frisbees to catching ultimate naps.

There's No Place Like Home.

We have 39 residence halls, which often house residential communities for first-year students. These communities are residence groups created around interests or fields of study, like the arts or medicine, where you can take learning beyond the classroom and into every facet of your time at Miami.

Live It up, You-Style.

Residence halls are more than just places to live. More often than not, they'll be the first place you'll live away from home, which is why we give you the opportunity to really make them your own. Turn it into a shrine for your favorite musician or sports team. Host late-night movie marathons every weekend. No matter how you choose to live, you'll remember your time here for the rest of your life.

A Hall Fit for a President.

David Stanton Tappan was Miami's 11th president, so it's only fitting he should have a building named after him. Tappan Hall is a coed residence hall located on the MEET Quad, which gets its name from the four residence halls that comprise of that quad: Morris, Emerson, Etheridge, and Tappan.

Tappan Hall

Tappan Hall is conveniently located near several dining options, including Harris Dining Hall and Maplestreet Station.

Such A Place,Such A Life.

Our aim is, and has always been, to provide the best undergraduate experience in the nation.

Armstrong Student Center

Designed as the true living room on campus, the Armstrong Student Center provides students with meeting rooms, quiet study rooms, the Brick & Ivy store for technology items and school supplies, unique dining concepts, lounge space, student organization offices, and signature event spaces for student events, including the Joslin Student Senate Chamber room and the circular Wiikiaami community room.

Armstrong Student Center

For our students, the Armstrong Student Center is a focal point of their "Miami Experience." The Center's location in the heart of campus makes it the perfect place for gathering spaces and socialization.

Out of the Ordinary on Campus.

Staying on campus also has its benefits, such as being close to your friends and classes. Also among the benefits? Getting to sample the treats of over 29 dining concepts located within 11 different buildings on campus – the most award-winning dining system in the country.

Food for Thought.

Miami strives to help our students, faculty, and staff understand the impact of food choices on health, the environment, and our local community. We aim to cultivate a culture of responsibility by engaging in a sustainable food system. We achieve this by purchasing locally, reducing our waste, and giving back to our local community.

Western Dining Commons

Recognized as one of the top 36 Dining Halls in the country, Western Dining Commons brings you everything you could want—a buffet, market, and a tea house. The buffet features four unique stations with some of your favorites like burgers, flatbreads, and a salad bar. Western Dining Commons is proud to have Miami’s first allergen-friendly station that has menu items free of the top eight allergens and gluten.

Corner The Market.

Or just make a quick circle around it. MacCracken Market is a mini grocery store (one of five on campus) with a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, canned, and packaged items. Whether you need a quick snack or a break from the dining hall, the Market provides some great options.

MacCracken Hall

MacCracken Hall is a female, upper-class residence hall built between 1957 and 1961. It was named after graduate Henry Mitchell MacCracken, is located on Central Quad, and currently houses four sorority chapters.

Yager Stadium

Home to the Miami University RedHawks football team, Yager Stadium has a capacity of over 24,000 spectators and was built in 1985. Yager Stadium replaced Miami Field, which had been used since 1895. The RedHawks field a Division I football program in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Strike Up The Band.

Nowhere is the spirit of Miami University more present (or at least louder) than in the Miami Marching Band. In past years, they've brought the noise to bowl games, and even the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Ready. Set. Play.

The women's volleyball team in action; this team plays in the Mid-American Conference (or the MAC, as we like to call it).

Millett Assembly Hall

Built in 1968 and named after the university’s 16th President, John D. Millet, Millett Assembly Hall serves as the home of RedHawk men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball.

Play. Then Lead.

The Miami RedHawks are in the NCAA Division I and play in the Mid-American Conference. The football program is perhaps best known for producing great coaches, which is how Miami came to be known as "The Cradle of Coaches."

Yager Stadium

Home to the Miami University RedHawks football team, Yager Stadium has a capacity of over 24,000 spectators and was built in 1985. Yager Stadium replaced Miami Field, which had been used since 1895. The RedHawks field a Division I football program in Mid-American Conference (MAC).

The Brotherhood.

The Miami hockey team plays at Goggin Ice Center and is one of our more popular sports. Students often camp out for good seats. It's that kind of spirit that has helped them contend for regional and even national championships.

Goggin Ice Arena

Home to the RedHawks ice hockey and synchronized skating teams, as well as the nation’s biggest and best intramural ice program — so you can enjoy epic matches of broomball.

Get Pumped. No, Literally.

The 10,000 square foot Martin Fitness Center features weights of both the free and machine variety, treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, an indoor track, rock climbing, racquet ball, fitness classes, and even an Olympic-sized pool.

Make a Splash.

The Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center features an eight-lane, 50-meter pool and diving platforms with a 25-meter well, plus a resistance pool. The varsity swimming and diving teams practice here, but it's also open to all students during certain hours.

Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center

Located within the Recreational Sports Center, the Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center is home to the RedHawk swimming & diving teams and is highlighted by an eight-lane, 50-meter pool and separate 25-meter well, containing one-, five-, seven-, and ten-meter platforms.

Having a Ball.

Miami has an organization for almost every interest imaginable. Take bumperball, for example—a new take on soccer.

Sing It Loud.

Listen closely and you might hear our students randomly burst into song. More often than not, they're just rehearsing for a concert with one of our many singing groups or a performance orchestrated by our Department of Theatre.

Culture Clubs.

Head to the Center for Performing Arts and you'll encounter professional-level productions by your fellow students. Be sure to tell people you knew them before they were famous.

Center for Performing Arts

The Center for Performing Arts is the home of the Department of Theatre. It houses all our faculty and staff offices and most of the production facilities, including the Gates-Abegglen Theatre, W. Paul Zimmerman Experimental Theatre, scene shop, costume shop, and prop shop.

Opened in the fall of 1969, the CPA sits on the Fine Arts Plaza, adjacent to Hiestand Hall (home to our classrooms) and the Art Building (home to the Art Department). Directly across the plaza from the CPA is the Shriver Center, which houses the Miami University Bookstore.

Two (Thousand) Can Play at This Game.

Miami intramural and club sports are open to all students and include such options as soccer, flag football, horseback riding, basketball, and quidditch.

Just Add Ice.

Miami University students are as comfortable on the ice as off. Our hockey and synchronized skating teams regularly rank among the top of their divisions, and we offer an array of club and intramural ice opportunities, including broomball.

Steady and Stable.

John W. Browne Equestrian Center

The nationally ranked Miami University equestrian team is composed of members competing in English hunt seat, dressage, and Western disciplines. Students train on campus at the John W. Browne Equestrian Center, which houses more than 60 horses.

The Arts are for Everyone.

Majoring in business, psychology, or engineering does NOT mean that you have to give up the instrument you loved to play in high school—or stop singing, dancing, or creating. Any student at Miami can audition for a musical ensemble, work backstage on a play, or take a ceramics class.

Schiewetz Fine Arts Plaza

The Schiewetz Fine Arts Plaza, a gift of Richard Schiewetz to honor his sisters—Betty Schiewetz Cromer ’41 and Mary Eleanor Schiewetz Flory ’39, is located on the north side of the Center for Performing Arts and adjacent to Hiestand Hall and the Art Building.

Seal of Approval.

One of the longest standing traditions on campus involves the seal in the center of campus. Legend has it, if you step on the seal, you'll fail your next exam. So, watch your step.

neepwaantiinki (learning from each other)

Since 1972, Miami University and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma have had a mutually beneficial partnership of respect and support anchored by education. Beginning with the common name and place, the relationship, based on revitalizing the Myaamia language and culture, has evolved into a multifaceted partnership.

Our Favorite Haunt.

Peabody Hall is a coed residence hall located on Western Campus, much to the dismay of the supposed ghost that occasionally shows up. Helen Peabody was an outspoken critic of coeducation, and some say she haunts the men who live in Peabody. (Although we haven't had any recent complaints, so maybe she's come around to the idea.)

Peabody Hall

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this unique building houses the Leonard Theatre and the office for Individualized Studies in addition to its designation as a residence hall. Students who live here have easy access to the wide variety of options at Western Dining Commons.

Under the Arch and Down the Aisle.

Rumor has it couples who kiss under Upham arch's lantern at the stroke of midnight are destined to marry.

Cradle of Coaches.

Miami University has been called the Cradle of Coaches because its football program has produced an impressive lineup of star football coaches. The Cradle contains Miami players and coaches such as latest inductee, Super Bowl Champion coach John Harbaugh '84.

Brush With Victory.

Goggin Ice Arena

Home to the RedHawks ice hockey and synchronized skating teams, as well as the nation’s biggest and best intramural ice program — so you can enjoy epic matches of broomball.

Welcome to Oxford, Ohio.

Uptown Oxford is more than just the town you drive through when you come to Miami. Acting almost as an extension of the campus, it offers all sorts of restaurants, stores, and places to just hang out. Oxford is only about 35 miles north of Cincinnati so it's close to a major metropolitan area if you want to visit the city but far enough away to feel like a world apart. In other words, it's the perfect college town.

Uptown Oxford, Ohio.

Uptown is the portion of the city of Oxford where most of the places to eat and hang out are concentrated. It acts as an extension of campus and is essentially a town tailor-made for college students.

The Best of the Best.

Oxford, Ohio, is a college town in the truest sense. So much so that Oxford is ranked among the top college towns in the nation (according to Forbes).

Fueled by Caffeine.

There's a reason college towns are filled with coffee shops, and it's not just those all-night study sessions during finals week (although that's certainly part of it). It's because they provide the perfect setting for groups to get together and discuss issues and ideas, of both the academic and not-so-academic variety.

Kofenya

Founded by Miami University graduates, Kofenya is a place that matches students’ tendency to hang out with their need for caffeine.

Get in the Swing. Or on It.

Students take advantage of a sunny afternoon out on the porch swings adorning the front of many off-campus houses.

A Night on the Town. Uptown, That Is.

When the sun goes down, the town lights up - with students and Oxford residents on their way to eat or hang out.

Side Streets

Students get to know Uptown Oxford pretty quickly. It's a safe town. You’ll see students cutting through the various side streets any time of day (and perhaps night) back to campus or to their houses.

We're Well-Rounded. And Covered in Toppings.

There are plenty of places that let you customize your sandwich. But how many places also let you name it, draw it, and stick it on the wall? That's where Bagel & Deli comes in. It's the kind of place that, like your bagel, you can customize and make your very own. It was just ranked as the best college town food in the state of Ohio by Tasting Table. And it's just one of many restaurants, coffee shops, and stores that make Oxford an ideal college town.

Bagel & Deli

A favorite amongst Miami students — just about any time of day or night.

Monday Night Karaoke.

Start picking your songs out now, because Monday night karaoke at one of the local establishments, Brick Street, is one of our most popular Uptown events, featuring aspiring divas and off-key singers looking to sing that one Backstreet Boys song. (Yep, that one.)

Brick Street

Monday night is karaoke night!

Find Your Style. Or Try on Something New.

Taking a break between classes comes in many forms. Some people like to grab a bite to eat. Some like to grab something new for their wardrobe, like this student checking out the selection at Juniper, an Uptown boutique.

Juniper

Get your shop on at one of the little stores or boutiques Uptown. This one, Juniper, is right in the center of town.

Family Weekend

From Tibet to Millett.

Approximately 11,750 people attended a lecture of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at Millett Hall in October 2010.

Celebrate Diversity.

The Latin American and Caribbean UniDiversity Festival is an annual celebration of the people and cultures that are quickly emerging as the largest ethnic group in the United States. The festival is a collaborative effort to promote diversity and inclusion in the Miami and Oxford communities and includes food, music, dancing, traditional arts and crafts, and other cultural activities.

Not Just a Science Guy. THE Science Guy.

Engineer, scientist, comedian, author, and Miami University speaker Bill Nye gives a lecture on understanding and appreciating the science that makes our world work.

No Pressure.

Miami's Collegiate Chorale rehearse before A.R. Rahman during his visit to campus. Rahman won two Oscars for his musical compositions in the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" and is described by Time magazine as possibly the most prolific recording artist in the world.

A Campus Fit for the Big Screen.

George Clooney and Ryan Gosling converse on set during the filming of "The Ides of March" on Miami's campus during the spring of 2011.

Spring Forward.

Springfest is a week long series of events at the end of the spring semester, usually a week or two before finals. Past events have included a carnival on Cook Field (pictured), yoga in Central Quad, free Skippers food, Miami baseball games, and a live concert on SlantWalk.

Cook Field

Located on the corner of State Route 73 and Patterson Ave., Cook Field is a large, lighted grass field on campus, making it a great place to play intramural sports or pick-up games.

Home Sweet Home.

Welcome Home is an annual series of events held to kick off the new school year and to introduce first-year students to Miami, their new home. The event wraps up with a fireworks display on Benton Quad—the perfect way to celebrate a fresh school year.

Yager Stadium

Home to the Miami University RedHawks football team, Yager Stadium has a capacity of over 24,000 spectators and was built in 1985. Yager Stadium replaced Miami Field, which had been used since 1895. The RedHawks field a Division I football program in Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Coming Together.

Student events like the annual Unity Day Celebration promote acceptance of diverse perspectives, cultures, and values.

Make it Work.

Emmy-award winner Tim Gunn kicked off Miami's 2014-2015 University Lecture Series – a program addressing a broad spectrum of contemporary issues and disciplines within the academic community.

Up Close and Personal.

Actor Wil Wheaton addressed the topic of bullying to a crowd full of Lecture Series guests. High-profile visitors to Miami often offer additional opportunities for more personalized engagement. Wheaton held a round table-style seminar to approximately 30 students from select organizations.

Parting Words of Wisdom.

Humanitarian and Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker shares his vision with graduates at the Spring Commencement ceremony.

Inspire. Persevere. Lead.

Students find inspiration from Paralympic skiing medalist and former White House official Bonnie St. John, whose personal and professional life demonstrates perseverance in the face of adversity.

From Here To Graduation Day.

Miami's graduation rates are among the highest nationally, ranking 21st among public universities, and first in Ohio.

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